


forest lass

by enbyseven



Series: femslash february 2021 [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Genre: Dalish Origin, F/F, Post-Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:08:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enbyseven/pseuds/enbyseven
Summary: After the Blight, after Amaranthine, after everything, Mahariel brings Leliana home to meet her clan.Febslash February Prompt 4. Feather.
Relationships: Leliana/Female Mahariel (Dragon Age), Leliana/Female Warden (Dragon Age)
Series: femslash february 2021 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2148765
Kudos: 21





	forest lass

**Author's Note:**

> _my featherbed is deep and soft,  
>  and there I’ll lay you down,  
> I’ll dress you all in yellow silk  
> and on your head a crown.  
> for you shall be my lady love,  
> and I shall be your lord.  
> I’ll always keep you warm and safe,  
> and guard you with my sword._
> 
> _and how she smiled and how she laughed, the maiden of the tree.  
>  she spun away and said to him,  
> no featherbed for me.  
> I’ll wear a gown of golden leaves,  
> and bind my hair with grass,  
> but you can be my forest love,  
> and me your forest lass._  
> \- george r. r. martin, a storm of swords

Sometimes, Mahariel thought it was a miracle that she had found Leliana.

That the Blight hadn't killed her. Morrigan's intervention or not, the battlefield was a dangerous place. Her survival had never been guaranteed.

Yet she still lived, as did Leliana.

Perhaps the Maker did smile on his children, after all. Or perhaps it was the work of the Creators, or mere luck.

Soran supposed it didn't matter. However it had happened, they had made it, through the Blight and what had happened after.

Amaranthine had been something of a disaster, though both the city and the fortress had made it out of the battle. But talking darkspawn?

Mahariel might be a new Warden, relatively speaking, but in her opinion that didn't bode well for the future.

Still, that was behind her now. Warden-Commander she may be, but she had been replaced as the Arl of Amaranthine after a letter to Weisshaupt, insisting that she was more useful elsewhere.

The First Warden had agreed. She was officially looking for recruits, hoping that the Hero of Ferelden herself might spur new members to join the Order. 

Unofficially, she was taking some time to travel with her love. Leliana had both been through so much, and so had Soran. They deserved some time together.

And when Leliana had proposed they find Soran's clan, she couldn't bring herself to resist the idea.

She had resigned herself to never seeing her clan again, that day almost two years ago when Soran had left them behind to become a Grey Warden. It had never occurred to her that she might be able to seek them out once more.

Of course, she brought her  _ vhenan _ with her. She wanted Leliana to meet her clan, her family. Ashalle and Keeper Marethari and Merrill and everyone else.

She'd finally had word of a Dalish clan just outside Jader, near the Frostback Mountains. And Soran knew her clan had camped there before. She suspected they were on their way back to Ferelden, hopefully, to take advantage of Queen Anora's gift of land.

They left the Valence Cloister together, with Mother Dorothea's blessing. Though Soran had little belief in the Maker, she found the cloister to be a peaceful place of rest, and the effect it had on Leliana was unmistakable.

Heading eastward, it didn't take long to arrive in Jader, where they spend their last night in an inn. It was easy for Leliana to go unnoticed, but with her pointed ears and the vallaslin on her face, Soran wasn't quite as able to disguise herself. Elves weren't well treated in Orlais, she knew.

And the Dalish even less so, when they dared show their faces.

So Soran spent a great deal of time with the hood of her cloak up, at least until they left the city and entered the forest. There, she was free to once again be herself, and her heart was lighter for it.

Their journey to the Dalish encampment was very much unlike their travels during the Blight. There was no fear of nighttime Darkspawn attacks, or demons, or Loghain's men. There was no pressure of time. They were simply two people.

"Look," Soran said, tugging Leliana closer to her. "There! In the trees, do you see?" She pointed up at a nearby oak tree, where a symbol was lightly carved into the bark. "We're almost there."

Ghilan, her mabari, wound about her legs, wagging his tail. He could sense her excitement. 

No doubt they would be noticed by the scouts soon. And then Soran would be home. A feeling of anxiety filled her. What if things were different?

What if they didn't accept Leliana? 

Her clan had few dealings with humans, and she wondered if her word alone would be enough. She hoped so. If she hadn't been away for so long, she would have fewer doubts, but after two years, she had to wonder if they would trust her as they once did. 

Soran hoped so.

Her hand intertwined with Leliana's, squeezing gently. Her vhenan glanced over at her with a smile, and Soran couldn't resist leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss to those lips.

Leliana deepened the kiss, raising her other arm to cup Soran's cheek. They had only recently been reunited, and it still sometimes felt as if they would be torn away from each other any moment.

But before Soran could smile, could pull away, or choose to further things, she froze.

Someone was watching them.

One hand went to the dagger at her side, even as her rational mind told her that it was likely someone from her clan. But a year spent fighting the Blight left its mark, as her pounding heart told her.

She broke the kiss, whirling around before stopping in her tracks. She could feel more than hear Leliana draw her bow, and held a hand out to stop her.

"Fenarel?" she breathed.

"Soran? Creators, is that you?"

She grinned, loosening her grip on her weapon and stepping forward.

"Lethallin," she said, the Dalish word coming to her lips without thought. "I have missed you."

"Andaran atish’an," Fenarel said formally, before breaking out into a smile and a run, embracing her with a laugh. "Welcome home, lethallan! We've heard tales of your journey, but we didn't expect you to come back!"

Soran laughed freely, in a way that she thought she had forgotten how to.

"Only for a visit, Fenarel," she said, as Ghilan barked and made himself known. 

"Creators, is this beast yours?" Fenarel asked, looking down at the mabari. Soran grinned.

"He's my most loyal companion, aren't you, Ghilan?" she said in her indulgent way, scratching behind his ears in the way he liked. 

"And I see you have another companion with you," Fenarel added dubiously, looking over at Leliana. Soran could tell he was wary, and she didn't blame him. She could remember her own early days traveling with Leliana and Morrigan and Alistair, unsettled and wary about the humans who surrounded her.

"This is Leliana," she said, going to stand by the redhead and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Vhenan, this is Fenarel, one o my oldest friends."

"Pleased to meet you, Fenarel," Leliana said politely, though Soran could feel how tense she was. 

"I see," Fenarel said, raising an eyebrow. "Andaran atish’an, Leliana. Any friend of Soran is a friend of the clan. Now come, the Keeper will want to see you."

With a smile on her face, eager to see her clan and Keeper once again, Soran took Leliana's hand and lead her forward, following Fenarel's lead. It was better this way, being found by one of the scouts.

It was a short distance to the encampment, and as they entered, Soran felt tear prick her eyes. This was  _ home _ , this was what she had been missing for two years. The idea that she couldn't stay there forever seemed impossible.

As they passed through the camp, following their guide to the Keeper, her people started to notice her, whispering and pointed. Some even started to follow them, and Leliana pressed close to her side.

Soran was grateful for her presence. It was grounding, and kept her from breaking down completely.

They approached the Keeper's aravel, and Marethari emerged, looking older and more weary than she had before Soran had left. Merril was at her heels, and was the first to notice her.

"Soran!" 

Marethari looked up sharply.

"Da'len," she said, and Soran couldn't identify the emotion in her voice. "You have returned to us."

"Keeper."

Before she could say anything else, someone pushed to the front of the crowd.

"Soran!"

"Ashalle!"

The woman who raised her, the only mother she had ever known, ran forward to embrace her, and Soran let her. They were the same height, but Soran melted into her arms like she was still a child.

"Oh, da'len, I feared for you so much," she said, kissing the top of Soran's dark hair. "I'm so glad to see you again."

She allowed herself a moment, just a moment, to pretend that she was home for good.

"I'm all right, Ashalle," she said, giving her a tight hug before pulling back. 

Soran stood straight, stepping back to stand with Leliana, Ghilan at her side.

"This is Leliana," she said to the Keeper and the clan. "Ma vhenan."

"You are welcome here, then," the Keeper said, as the mutters throughout the small crowd grew louder. "Andaran atish’an. Come, da'len, and speak with me. I would hear of your journey."

"Of course, Keeper," she said, and stepped forward. "Stay, Ghilan.

As Soran passed Merrill, she placed a hand on the First's shoulder.

"Keep an eye on Leliana, yes? Make sure she's not overwhelmed," she whispered.

"Of course, lethallan."

Soran entered the aravel with the keeper, sitting down across from her. She knew that she couldn't tell Marethari everything. Some things were secret, and even Leliana didn't know them. Like the Joining, or that killing an Archdemon was supposed to be lethal.

But she told the Keeper much of everything else. How she had survived the battle at Ostagar, along with Alistair, and been saved by the old mage in the wilds. How they had traveled, first to Lothering, then on to the rest of Ferelden, gathering an army - and all the perils they had faced along the way. How she herself had killed the Archdemon. She told the Keeper of Amaranthine, and the talking darkspawn she had encountered there.

When she was finished, finding it strange that her experiences could be summed up in so few words, Marethari was silent for a long moment.

"So you have seen much of the world, and come back to us. But you are still a Grey Warden."

"Yes, Keeper. " She thought, for a moment, to tell her of the Joining, and the taint that now ran through her veins, but decided against it. If Marethari couldn't cure her before the Joining, she doubted she had the answer to it now.

"Why have you returned? Do not take my meaning wrongly," she the Keeper added quickly, "but I did not think to see you again in this life."

Soran understood.

"I never thought to be back. But for now, I am free to go where I like to recruit, and I wanted to bring Leliana to meet my family. And..." she hesitated. "I have news of Tamlen."

The Keeper's gaze sharpened.

"What of our clanmate?" she asked.

"I found him in the Brecilian Forest," she said, grief overtaking her voice. "He was filled with the taint, and I could do nothing to save him. I held him as he died, and buried him under a tree. I did the best I could, Keeper."

Marethari closed her eyes, before taking Soran in her arms.

"I know you did, da'len," she said. "Thank you for being there for Tamlen when he needed you." 

Soran nodded, blinking the tears away. Though it had been over a year since she had put Tamlen to rest, she still mourned the boy who had been her brother.

"Now," Marethari said. "You fell in love with a human, did you?"

Blushing, Soran nodded.

"Yes. Leliana is so different than anyone I've ever met. She's kind and compassionate, she knows how to fight and when to show mercy."

"She's quite lovely."

Soran blushed.

"She's  _ beautiful _ ."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Yes. More than anything."

"Then I am happy for you Soran. Truly," Marethari said. "And I trust that you wouldn't bring a human here who would bring us harm."

"Thank you, Keeper." The words were a relief. 

Hopefully, the clan would follow her lead.

Emerging from the aravel, feeling lightened, Soran felt a grin appear on her lips. Leliana was sitting with Merrill and several of the children, and they were making flower chains. 

Creator, she owed Merrill for this. Whatever the mage had said or done, it worked. Leliana appeared completely at home, and the wary looks were all but gone. 

She had to wonder if it was only Merrill, or if she really was remembered that fondly.

A smile on her face, she stepped over to Leliana, and sank to the ground, crossing her legs.

"May I join you?" she asked playfully, more to the children than the bard. 

They looked at her curiously, and with a pang, she realized that most of them were too young to remember her. 

Still, she was allowed to begin making a flower chain of her own, which she bestowed upon Leliana with a kiss.

Leliana placed a flower crown on her head, and gave her a kiss on the cheek in return.

"Thank you for bringing me here," she whispered. "Your family is wonderful."

When all of the children had finally been adorned with flowers, they ran off to play some other game, leaving Soran and Leliana to themselves.

"What did Merrill do while I was with the Keeper?" Soran asked with a smile.

Leliana shrugged a little bit. 

"She just sat me down and gave me quite a lot of flowers, and asked the children if they would teach me how to join them together."

Soran laughed. It was such a simple thing, yet she could see why it worked.

"I'll have to thank her," she said.

They sat for a moment, just watching the clan going about their daily life, Leliana leaning against Soran. 

"It's going to be hard to leave them again," Soran said softly. "I missed this so much."

Leliana took Soran's hand in hers, stroking her wrist with her thumb.

"I know. Just enjoy being here while you are, mon cher. And perhaps after this we will visit Antiva, and Zevran? Something to look forward to, yes? I am sure there are plenty of recruits to be had there."

"I'd like that very much," Soran said softly. She would miss her home, and leaving against would be difficult, but she was glad she had come.

**Author's Note:**

> day four's prompt was _feather,_ and it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite asoiaf quotes/poems, though it didn't turn out quite how I imagined it.


End file.
